


Twenty Years Apart

by notdeadtrickster



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: F/M, M/M, Slow Burn, don't judge my cultural inaccuracies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:40:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 9,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27619868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notdeadtrickster/pseuds/notdeadtrickster
Summary: It's been twenty years since the last class 3-E graduated from Kunugigaoka Junior High before the concept was shut down. Now, a new generation of students is attending the new 'end class' 3-D, ready for a new homeroom teacher: Shiota Nagisa.What Nagisa didn't realize was that he would meet lots of familiar names and that his new job would rekindle old relationships he had almost forgotten.
Relationships: Akabane Karma/Shiota Nagisa, Chiba Ryuunosuke/Hayami Rinka, Irina Jelavić/Karasuma Tadaomi, Isogai Yuuma/Maehara Hiroto, Kanzaki Yukiko/Sugino Tomohito
Comments: 31
Kudos: 138





	1. The First Day

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for any cultural inaccuracies. I am German and do not know everything about Japanese culture. Please correct me if anything bugs you.

It sure had been a surprise when the letter from Kunugigaoka Junior High arrived in Nagisa's mailbox. He had read the letter several times before the message really sunk in. They really wanted him to teach at one of the most renowned schools in Tokyo, his old Junior High. There was little to no hesitation when agreeing.  
He had only been to the school campus once or twice after graduation and not once in the past ten years. He knew some of his former classmates still visited - the old campus belonged to them after all - but most shared his sentiment of leaving the past on the hill. Now, this was subject to change.  
In his time at Kunugigaoka, Nagisa had been to the main building for the first two years and only for the exams the following year after his transfer to 3-E. In theory, the E-class was abolished; in practice, however, it was merely replaced with the D-class. If E-class was the _end_ class, then the D-class was the _dumb_ class, perhaps even _delinquent_. Nagisa heard more than enough about the D-class from his teaching colleagues. The last homeroom teacher retired the year before, which is why Nagisa is taking on the class now. Kind of ironic, he thought.  
He was prepared for the worst. In his first year as a teacher, he had faced a similar class. He hoped there would be no physical confrontation, but he was prepared to fight if need be. It was time. Mentally prepared, Nagisa opened the door, ready to be hit in the face with… Something.  
Nothing happened. Nothing hit him. The only thing greeting him were students, sitting at their desks as they should. Nagisa scanned the room as he walked to his table in front. It felt like there were familiar faces among loads of new ones. Indeed, Nagisa only needed to look a bit for two known faces. The twins smiled at him before being distracted by the girl behind them.  
Nagisa cleared his throat. It was his time to shine, to make a good first impression. "Good morning, class." He smiled into the room. "I'm your new homeroom teacher, Shiota Nagisa." The class took notice before Nagisa opened the list to take attendance. He couldn't even get past the first name without stumbling and rereading. "Akabane Hikaru?" He scanned the room, and fittingly, a head of red hair lifted.  
"Here," the student in the far back replied.  
Nagisa looked down at the list again. Maybe it was a coincidence, he thought. He would just focus on the next name, and… "Asano Gureisu?"  
"Here." Barely audible, a girl in the first row raised her voice. An Asano in D-class? There was no time to think about it now. He went down the list, new names interrupted by familiar ones.  
"Chiba Taiyo."  
"Here."  
"Karasuma Suzuki."  
"Here."  
"Maehara Katashi."  
"Here."  
"Nakamura Ava."  
"Here."  
"Sugino Mikazuki."  
"Here."  
"Sugino Minori."  
"Here."  
Although quite sure, there was no guarantee there was any relation, Nagisa was fairly certain. Aside from Mikazuki and Minori, of course. He fondly remembered babysitting the twins for Tomohito and Yukiko when they were little. He also remembered tutoring them in years 1 and 2, but apparently, it didn't work as well as hoped.  
Nagisa tried not to drift into thought. He needed to be focused on teaching. Luckily, the class made it easy for him; most students tried their hardest to work with him. Most. In the middle of the class, a boy with orange-brown hair was too busy talking to the girl behind him. Undoubtedly, he took after what Nagisa concluded must be his father - Maehara Hiroto.  
After school, he hadn't really talked to him at all. Nagisa had met Isogai a few times, and that's how Nagisa was sure Maehara hadn't changed any of his ways. When Isogai told that his long-term girlfriend - Katashi's mother - had left, Nagisa wasn't surprised.  
"Maehara-kun," Nagisa said. "Can you answer the question on the board?"  
"I can!" Nakamura-san, the blonde girl behind the twins, raised her hand high. Eloquently, she phrased an answer that could have been written in the textbook.  
"Quit sucking up to the teacher." Further back, another blonde spoke up. Karasuma-san rolled her blue eyes. The two girls could have been sisters if Nagisa hadn't known better.  
"No fighting," Nagisa said. He turned back to the board. "Chiba-kun, can you tell me the answer?" It was hard to read his expressions under the bangs Taiyo could have inherited from his father.  
"No," Taiyo replied. At least he was honest.  
Nagisa scanned the room. In front of him was Asano Gureisu. He knew she didn't know. Evidently, she averted her violet eyes. Nagisa still couldn't believe someone with that heritage would end up where Gureisu was now. However, Nagisa could understand once he listened to her for a bit. Nothing she couldn't fix with some dedication, but not A-class level at the time.  
Finally, Nagisa's eyes fell into the back corner. "Akabane-kun," Nagisa said, "do you know the answer?"  
So far, Hikaru hadn't said a single word since attendance, and apparently, he didn't feel the need to change that. "Akabane-kun?"  
"What?" The boy lifted his head. To say he was the spitting image of his father was an understatement.  
Nagisa smiled. "Do you know the answer?"  
"No," Hikaru replied. "What now?"  
Provocations wouldn't work on Nagisa. "I'd like to see you try, at least."  
"Gonna force me?"  
"Dude, calm down." Katashi now tried to intervene; back turned to face Hikaru.  
Nagisa shook his head. It was no use to argue. "Maehara-kun, it's okay." He looked up at Hikaru. Something told him that it was only the beginning of a rough student-teacher relationship.

"Akabane-kun?"  
Hikaru could barely contain his annoyance when Shiota-sensei called for him after class. He turned on his heel and walked to his teacher's desk. "What do you want?"  
Shiota-sensei smiled at him. "I noticed you're a bit distracted in class," he said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"  
Hikaru scoffed. "Just leave me alone."  
Shiota-sensei didn't seem to accept this for an answer. "Maybe I need to ask your parents about your work ethic to find something that could help."  
"No," Hikaru said.  
"I would like to." Shiota-sensei smiled again. "Please ask your parents to see me sometime soon."  
Hikaru gave him the angriest glare he could manage before leaving the school. On his commute home, he considered which parent to tell. His dad would probably be more chill about it, but his schedule was too densely packed. His mom, however, was already mad at his transfer to 3-D. By the time he opened the door to their apartment, he had decided on telling the first one of them he could find.  
Like a miracle, it wasn't his mother who was in the kitchen cooking. "Hey, bud." His dad, Karma, turned away from the stove. "How was your first day?"  
Hikaru shrugged. "Why are you home already?"  
"There were some maintenance works in the building," Karma smiled. "They asked us to take the work home for the day. I thought I'd make us some lunch."  
Hikaru knew how much his dad loved cooking even though he didn't really have that much time for it. He hated to ruin his obviously good mood. "My new homeroom teacher wants to talk to you."  
"Already?" Karma turned around. "What did you do?"  
"Nothing!" Hikaru exclaimed. "I swear, I didn't do anything."  
Karma watched him for a moment before turning back. "I believe you," he said. "I'll see if I can squeeze by tomorrow after work."  
The worst part about being transferred to D-class was his mom's disappointed look. She had always been a good student while his dad had been in E-class, allegedly an even worse version of D-class. So far, nobody was quite sure whether the parents were lying about E-class. A lot of teachers denied the existence of it; only his dad and a couple of others testified. Apparently, the building on the hill was the old campus. Again, nobody was quite sure whether to believe it. His dad had always talked about his fond memories of 3-E, the _end_ class. Maybe Hikaru could think the same about D-class…


	2. Eight Years And A Bit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karma isn't pleased with having to deal with Hikaru's misbehaviour on the second day of school already, but he quickly changes his mind when he meets an old friend. One he hadn't seen in eight years and a bit.

Karma was less than pleased with leaving early. The first day and Hikaru had already gotten himself into trouble.  
Kunugigaoka was like a foreign place. Usually, Hikaru's mother took care of school relationships. His eyes darted around until he peeked a blue head of hair. "Nagisa?"  
The shorter man turned around and looked up. "Karma." He stepped closer.  
"I didn't expect to see you here," Karma said. "How long has it been? Eight, nine years?"  
On Nagisa's face, a smile spread. "Eight years and a bit, yes."  
"What are you doing here? Your kid's going to Kunugigaoka?"  
"I don't have children," Nagisa said. "I'm a teacher here." He turned to the door and opened it. "Do you wanna go inside to talk?"  
Karma watched his former best friend with sorry eyes before letting out a sigh. "Actually, I'm pretty busy right now. I gotta go see my son's homeroom teacher."  
"I know," Nagisa said. "I need to talk to you about him."  
Karma watched him, cogs spinning until it all fell into place. "You're- you're his teacher?" He followed Nagisa inside and closed the door. "What did Hikaru do?"  
"Nothing," Nagisa said. "That's actually the problem." He paused. "Why did he get transferred to D?"  
Karma chuckled to himself. "Turns out, it just runs in the family," he said. "He gets a little protective over his friends, and that's not an A-class thing to do." The corner of his mouth jerked up. "He's not causing trouble in class, is he?"  
"I think he tried." Nagisa sat down at his desk and gestured to another chair for Karma. "I didn't really react to it, but I think he doesn't like me."  
"He probably doesn't, yeah." Karma sighed. "Give him some time. He knows stuff. He just doesn't always show."  
Nagisa nodded. "I'll take that to note." He noted something down before closing his notes. "How have you been?"  
"Huh?" Karma watched the man in front of him. "Oh, uhm… I have a kid, but I think you know that." He laughed a little. "Maehara and I are meeting for tea once a month."  
Nagisa smiled brightly. "That's nice," he said. "Are you married?"  
"No," Karma said, perhaps a bit too fast for his own comfort. He didn't really feel like talking about Nami at the time. It felt weird to tell Nagisa about his love life, given the circumstances… He looked up and watched Nagisa, suppressing his thoughts as if Nagisa could hear a live broadcast of them. "Do you wanna do something? I'm free this afternoon, and I feel like we should catch up."  
"I'd love that," Nagisa said with a smile. "Do you wanna go somewhere to eat?" He packed up his things into his bag and got up.  
"We could go to my place if you want." Karma followed Nagisa out of the room. "You never tried my food, did you?"

"I never knew you could cook so good!" Nagisa smiled broadly. "Maybe I need to visit more often."  
Karma chuckled. "Maybe we need to make this a regular event then."  
The thought of seeing Karma more often made Nagisa happy. Just when they had gotten closer, they went to separate high schools. After a couple of sparse phone calls, they hadn't talked in years.  
It felt pretty nice to have lunch with Karma, just one on one. Hikaru had sent his dad a text that he'd be studying with friends. _Studying_. Nagisa hoped they did, at least due to peer pressure from his friend group.  
Once they had finished lunch and took care of the dishes, Karma proposed something else. "Do you wanna watch a movie or something?"  
Nagisa hummed. "Sounds good."  
Karma led him to the living room and sat down on the couch, Nagisa beside him. They barely had to think before deciding on Sonic Ninja.  
By far, it wasn't the first time he had seen the movie or even the first time he had seen it with Karma. At that point, he had stopped counting the number of times he had heard the same comments again and again and somehow, they were just as entertaining as the first time.  
"You know…" Karma turned his head, clearly deriving from what could almost be considered a script. "I really missed spending time with you—a lot."  
Nagisa was surprised. "I missed it too," he replied.  
"There's so much that happened in the past twenty years that I wish I had done differently… You have no idea how glad I am to have met you today, 'cause-"  
The front door opened and fell into lock shortly after. "Honey, I'm home!"  
Nagisa was confused. Didn't Karma say he wasn't married? The living room door opened, and a woman walked inside.  
"Oh," she said. "I didn't know you were home already."  
Karma gave Nagisa a quick look before turning back to the woman. "Uhm, yeah. Hikaru's teacher wanted to talk to me, so I did that. This is him, actually." He gestured towards Nagisa.  
"You brought our son's teacher home?"  
"We went to junior high together." Karma glanced to the side again. "Nagisa, this is Nami." He leaned back against the backrest. "My girlfriend."  
Suddenly, a huge smile formed on Nami's face. "So you are Nagisa? Karma talked about you a lot."  
"Did he?" Nagisa asked.  
"Don't worry about it," Karma replied quickly.  
Weirdly, it was like Karma had been replaced. Sure, on the outside, it had been the same person, but something felt… off. Nagisa knew Karma. Their time spent earlier had proven that.  
"I hope you don't mind," Nagisa said as if suddenly, he was an intruder in his friend's home, "but I still have to prepare for class tomorrow. Maybe we can talk and see when we can meet again."  
Karma smiled broadly. "Yeah, sure. Do you need a ride home?" He got up and led Nagisa to the front door.  
"I'll be fine," Nagisa said as he bent down to put on his shoes. "Oh, are you coming to the reunion on Saturday?"  
Karma watched him with narrowed eyes. "Reunion?"  
"Yes, on Saturday." Nagisa smiled. "All of 3-E is gonna be there, even Karasuma-san and-" He paused. "It's probably inappropriate to call her Bitch-san, isn't it?"  
"She won't mind," Karma laughed. "Uhm, yeah. I'll be there." He opened the front door.  
Nagisa went outside and turned around. "I'm glad. I'll see you there then."  
"Yeah, see you." And with that, the door closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the nice comments on the first chapter. Again, any critiques, ideas and wishes in the comment section, please!!! See you in a couple of days, hopefully.


	3. The Daily Struggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Maehara Katashi and his friends are struggling with school work, his father Hiroto is struggling with... Literally everything else.

"This new teacher is annoying as shit." Hikaru dropped his pen on the desk. "He asked to see my dad literally the first day."  
"Maybe you shouldn't piss him off on the first opportunity." Katashi leaned his chin on his palm and sighed. "Do you understand this?"  
"Of course he does," Ava beside him said. "He just won't admit to it."  
Hikaru rolled his eyes. Quite honestly, he didn't enjoy Ava's company. She just took a few too many liberties that would have passed a couple years ago, perhaps, but now? "Shut up, Nakamura-san." He slid his note across the table. "Just copy it."  
Katashi pulled the note closer and copied it, looking like he was trying to understand. "I guess," he mumbled. For a moment, the three were silent.  
"Akabane-kun, what's your problem with Shiota-sensei anyway?" Ava closed the book in front of her, nails tapping on the hardcover of the math book. "Do you have a backstory?" Back when they were kids, Hikaru and Ava had been best of friends, even before Hikaru and Katashi had been. That probably happened because his dad and her mom were friends in school before Nakamura-san and Ava moved away again. Nakamura-san had always talked about her time in England. Now, Ava was at home alone a lot. Sad, Hikaru thought.  
"No," Hikaru said after a moment of thought. "He's just annoying me."  
"I think he's pretty nice," Katashi said. "Pretty sure I might get outta D thanks to him."  
Ava scoffed. "You're too busy flirting with Karasuma-san." She shook her head.  
"Karasuma-san of all girls in the class. Hikaru laughed. "Couldn't you pick any other girl that isn't so… Annoying."  
"Either way," Ava said. "I doubt you'll get outta here. You're stuck with us."  
"Stuck?" The door opened as Katashi's dad - Hiroto - walked inside.  
"In D-class." Katashi sighed. "Is lunch ready?"  
"Not quite," Hiroto said. "Just overheard. You'll be fine." He gave a stressed smile before turning back. "I'll call you when I'm done."

As he closed the door and his hand slipped off the metal door handle, Hiroto let out a deep sigh. He hadn't gotten a full night of sleep for weeks.  
He dragged himself to the kitchen as the doorbell rang on the way. He paused before opening the door, watching the man behind it. "Yūma," he said. "I didn't expect you today."  
"I'm sorry," Yūma said. "I was on the way home and passed by. I thought I'd say 'Hi'."  
Hiroto stepped aside and let Yūma in. "Actually, I could need a hand right now," he admitted. "Mind helping me with dinner?"  
Yūma smiled. "Of course," he said. "Cooking is fun."  
The two walked into the kitchen and finished preparing dinner. It wasn't the first time Yūma had helped Hiroto with handling the adjustment to this new way of life.  
"How are the kids?" Yūma asked. "Do they ask about their mom?"  
Hiroto sighed. "Not really," he said. "Kimiko is really mad at her, actually." It has been a couple of weeks since Katashi and Kimiko had moved in permanently. At first, they all were excited about the change in scenery. Hiroto had always been mad that he only saw his kids every other weekend, so them moving in permanently was a dream come true. Little did he know how much he wasn't suited for the job of a full-time single father.  
"Well, I'm sure she's just a little heated still." Yūma smiled. "What about you, though? How have you been? I didn't stop by the last couple of weeks."  
Hiroto shrugged. "I'm fine, I guess. Okano-san called a couple of days ago, but other than that…" He watched the pot in front of him. "I don't know… I haven't been feeling too great. A bit…" He shook his head. "Nevermind."  
Usually, he didn't mind spilling his feelings to Yūma. There were no secrets between them. This, however, felt different. He wasn't quite sure what was different, only that it felt like he didn't want to tell Yūma.  
"Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it?" Yūma asked. "I know things have been tough with the kids and all. You can tell me everything."  
Hiroto found himself smiling. "I know I can," he said. It felt like there was something else on the tip of his tongue that he wanted to tell Yūma, his best friend since childhood. "Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one might be a little bit shorter, I believe? I hope you don't mind, but I didn't wanna pat it out with refundant filler. Quality > quantity.


	4. Denial Of The Obvious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From hugs and flirts to neglected children...

All week, Nagisa couldn't shake off the thought of Karma's weird behaviour. He knew he wanted to ask, but Karma hadn't been replying to his texts. By Saturday afternoon, Nagisa almost had a catalogue of questions for Karma.  
Nagisa had decided to show up a little early to help with preparations. He knew exactly how long it would take him, now that it was his daily commute. Only the trip up to the old campus was longer than he remembered.  
The door was already unlocked when he arrived, so he walked inside. Fond memories of past times flooded him. From the classroom, voices echoed. Nagisa followed.  
"I'm so happy everyone said they would be here." Isogai-kun's voice.  
"I hope everyone shows up." Kataoka-san's voice.  
"I'm sure they will." Okano-san's voice.  
Nagisa opened the door to the classroom. The tables had been pushed aside to create more space, and in the center, a larger table was decked with food and drinks.  
"Do you need help?" Nagisa asked, causing the three inside to spin around.  
"Nagisa-kun," he replied. "You're pretty early."  
Nagisa chuckled. "I wanted to see if you needed help with anything, but I see you're good."  
"We got some snacks and drinks for everyone," Isogai-kun said. "We're just waiting for everyone else." He smiled before watching Nagisa for a second. "Oh, and you can call me by my first name."  
"We should really start calling each other by our first names," Okano-san - Hinata-san - said. "We've known each other for so long."  
"So, Nagisa-kun," Yūma said. "Do you have contact with anyone from the class?"  
Nagisa had to think. "Tomohito, Yukiko and I are still pretty close," he eventually said. "And in my class, I have some students from our class."  
"Huh?" Kataoka Megu hummed. "Where are you teaching now?"  
"At Kunugigaoka," Nagisa replied. "I already had to ask Karma for a conversation because his son… comes after his father."  
"I'll take that as a compliment."  
Immediately, Nagisa's face heated. "You know what I meant." He turned around to be greeted with a hug, much to his surprise. It felt weird to be smushed into Karma's chest yet somehow… comforting.  
"Karma-kun, you're suffocating him." Yūma-kun laughed as Karma let go, only his hand resting on Nagisa's shoulder.  
The words of welcome went right over Nagisa's head; thoughts still focused on the warm embrace that made five seconds feel like years. His eyes were fixed to where his cheek had leaned on moments prior, mind where Karma gently brushed his thumb up and down the seam of Nagisa's shirt. Warm impulses rushed down his arm. His eyes wandered up, Karma talking to their former classmates. It didn't matter what he said, Nagisa didn't really listen.  
Karma seemed to have caught on, looking down into Nagisa's eyes. "Do I have something on my face?" He gave a smile.  
"Huh?" Nagisa looked away. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was thinking of something else."  
"Just admit that you were smitten," Karma laughed. His hand slipped off Nagisa's shoulder, and he walked towards the others, talking about something work-related.  
After Karma had turned his focus to the women, Yūma-kun approached Nagisa. "You're still close, huh?"  
"Kind of," Nagisa said. "We didn't see each other for years, but we immediately warmed up to each other."  
"So you're just friends?"  
Nagisa leaned his head to the side a bit. "What else would we be?"  
Yūma-kun chuckled. "You two would make a cute couple," he said. "That's all."

By the time Rio had arrived at the old campus, most people were already there. It took a moment to sort the situation.  
In the back, there were Hazama-san, Terasaka-kun and Itona-kun talking; on the other end, Maehara-kun and Isogai-kun had Karma-kun in a conversation; Karasuma-san and his now-wife Irina talking to Sugino Tomohito and Kanzaki Yukiko - Sugino Yukiko if Ava had told her correctly. All over the place, smaller groups had formed. It took a couple of looks before Rio noticed someone standing alone. "Nagisa-kun," she smiled and walked up to him. "How are you doing?"  
Nagisa, apparently in thoughts, raised his look from the floor. "Nakamura-san," he replied.  
Rio chuckled. "First name is fine," she said.  
"I didn't see you around before," Nagisa said.  
"I just arrived." Rio smiled. "My train was pretty delayed."  
Nagisa nodded. "What have you been up to?"  
"Lots of travel. Work-related." Rio looked away for a second. Of course, she felt terrible for leaving Ava home alone so often. Rio tried to be home as much as she could, but for the most part, she couldn't.  
"I heard about that," Nagisa said. "Your daughter talked about it with her friends."  
Saying she was surprised was an understatement. "You know Ava?"  
"I'm her homeroom teacher."  
Rio had barely remembered that Nagisa was a teacher, but her daughter's homeroom teacher? There was no shame in admitting to being in 3-D, especially as a former 3-E student. Still, she knew Ava could do better, and that was just a little bit bitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Titling this one was surprisingly hard. Don't question it.


	5. Choose Your Words Wisely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you slip up. Sometimes, you don't say what you mean to say. Sometimes, people get hurt. Literally

Karma found himself getting distracted from time to time. Sure, Hiroto and Yūma never failed to keep an interesting conversation, but Karma's mind was elsewhere. Just in the corner of his eye, he saw Nagisa and Rio talking. Didn't she have a crush on him? Twenty years ago, she did, but who knew? Maybe she still liked him. Thinking about it, they may even be a cute couple. He wasn't sure what made him think they would be.  
"Karma?" A hand in front of his face ripped him out of the potential wedding preparations. Hiroto waved to catch his attention. "Are you stalking Rio or Nagisa?" he asked.  
"Both," Karma replied. "Just thought they would be cute together."  
"You think?" Yūma asked. "Hey, Nagisa! Rio!"  
Karma watched the two come, slightly taken aback by the prompt response.  
"Hi, guys." Rio smiled at the three. "What's up?"  
"We just wanted to say hi," Hiroto said. You two looked so lonely."  
"I just got here," Rio said with a sigh. "Was Ava alright last week?"  
Hiroto smiled. "Oh, sure. Katashi and Hikaru took her to study last week."  
Perhaps now wasn't the time to admit Karma was genuinely surprised Hikaru had opened a book while out of the house. Nagisa also seemed pleasantly surprised.  
"So, what were you on about?" Rio asked.  
"Just Karma's crush." Hiroto laughed. "He's head-over-heels."  
Karma felt his head feel light. "He's joking," he said. "No crushes here."  
"Ooh, Karma has a crush." Rio giggled. "Who is it? Okuda-san?" She watched over her shoulder before she gasped. "Is it Nagisa?"  
Karma chuckled. "The one and only." Of course, there was no crush, but playing along seemed fun, also, in the back of his mind, he was curious about Nagisa's reaction.  
"It's only half the fun when you play along," Rio complained. "You are joking, right?"  
Nagisa gave Karma a quick glance. "Well, I hope so."  
Oh. _Oh_.  
"Sure."  
While Hiroto and Rio kept making jokes, Karma kept silent. _Well, I hope so._ No harsh feelings, but nobody likes hearing that.  
"I'm not that bad, am I?" Karma turned his head. "Is it a personal thing?"  
Nagisa watched him with a puzzled look. "No," he said slowly. "I just don't… I would never…" He sighed. "I don't associate with this kind of behaviour."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Okay, okay." Hiroto pulled Karma by his sleeve closer. "We're not starting a fight."  
"I won't!"  
"Karma, you're getting loud again."  
With a swift motion, Karma hit the hand from his arm, only to be met with a different hand on the other arm.  
"Calm down," Nagisa said as he tried to hold the arm still - unsuccessful.  
"Don't tell me what to do."

It all happened quite fast.  
Hiroto could barely process _why_ it happened. Just suddenly, Karma and Nagisa were in a full-blown fight. Within seconds did the whole class group around them, Nagisa being held back by Tomohito, Karma having Karasuma-san and Terasaka by his arms.  
"Stop it!" Karasuma-san yelled. "Both of you!"  
"What happened?" Tomohito asked, dodging Nagisa's elbows.  
"We don't know," Yūma said. "They just started fighting."  
It was Karma who gave in first. He was the one who stopped resisting, so the two men holding him dragged him to the other end of the room. The crowd dissolved and most people resumed their previous conversations. Hiroto walked up to Karma.  
"Don't wanna talk about it," he mumbled.  
"You should have thought about that earlier," Karasuma-san said. "What happened?"  
"Nothing," Karma said. "I took something wrong, got a bit mad…"  
Hiroto sighed. "I thought it got better," he said.  
"It did. I slipped. That's all."  
Rio, who had been slowly approaching the group of men, now had to let out a little laugh. "I have to admit," she said. "Your domestic disputes are entertaining."  
"There's no domestic," Karma said.  
"Oh, sure." Rio crossed her arms. "I'm calling it now: you and Nagisa are gonna be dating next year. And while I'm at it, one of us is gonna go back to assassination. And Yūma and Hiroto are gonna be married."  
Hiroto chuckled at her response. Marrying Yūma? Sure, they had been best friends for ages, but marrying? He looked over where Yūma talked to Nagisa. Maybe they could get a drink later on and talk about Rio's prediction, just to see what Yūma would say. After all, the evening isn't over yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I want to start something new under the chapters to see how it goes: Question Of The Chapter (QOTC)!  
> This is supposed to a) help woth interacting with you guys and b) you guys can help direct the fanfic into a certain direction. Some questions have more impact than others and some are just for fun. I'll try to have them relate to the chapter in some way. So, for the QOTC: Karma x Okuda or Karma x Nagisa?  
> (I know what's in the tags and I assume you have a bias, but you never know)  
> AOTC: I like both, actually. I think they are both adorable.
> 
> If you read all of this, you did good. Thanks.


	6. Business Behind The Scenes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parents exaggerate their school stories. At least that's what Taiyo thinks when his parents tell him about their school time.

It had been way past midnight when the door opened. "Shh, Taiyo is asleep." A giggle followed.  
Asleep, sure. Taiyo rolled his eyes as the steps got louder, just enough time to slip off his shoes and get into bed. Rinka, his mother, giggled again. "I'm with you in a second." With a creak, the door to his room opened. "Oh," Rinka said. "Taiyo, why are you still awake? Have you seen how late it is?"  
"Well, you and Dad just got home, didn't you?" He crossed his arms. "How was the class reunion?"  
Rinka smiled. "Well, I didn't realize your homeroom teacher would be there."  
"He was?"  
"He was." Rinka nodded to her statement. "He used to be in E-class with me and your dad."  
Taiyo chuckled. His parents had told him about this alleged E-class. Apparently, he was lucky for even being in the same building as A-class. Back when a yellow octopus threatened the earth. There had been evidence that such a creature existed twenty years back, but why would they let students take care of governmental issues. Taiyo's parents weren't assassins. Shiota-sensei was no assassin. He knew enough assassins to be sure of that.

She pulled the door shut behind her. "Did you notice something off about him lately?"  
"Off?" Ryūnosuke asked.  
"Yes, off." She slid past her partner towards the hallway. "Ever since we moved, he's been acting kinda strange."  
Ryūnosuke shrugged. "He's adjusting," he said while following Rinka towards their bedroom.  
"I know… Did he ever tell you about any friends he made?"  
"No," Ryūnosuke said. "I asked Nagisa if Taiyo is doing well."  
"Do you think the others are nice to him?" Rinka sat down on the edge of the bed. "I don't want anything repeating."  
"He'll be fine," Ryūnosuke said. "Maehara said his son's trying his best to keep the others from teasing." He leaned down and pressed a kiss on the top of her head.  
Rinka let out a content sigh. "I'll try and reach Nagisa and ask if he can keep an eye on him." Her forehead rested against his body, and he ran a hand through her hair. It was the quiet moments that made their relationship so amazing. At first, they struggled with the awkward silences. They went on a few dates but stopped soon after. Nowadays, words were almost forbidden on dates, if they went to any. Anything that needed to be said was said during the day, and everything else was just clouding their peaceful silence. Rinka much rather listened to Ryūnosuke talk to himself late at night about what he did at work or what he would do the next day until she fell asleep. Rinka always fell asleep first.  
Not that day, though. "I should call now," she said. "I don't wanna wake him up."  
She got off the bed and pulled her phone out. While Ryūnosuke got ready for bed, Rinka walked out towards the kitchen, the phone ringing on the other end.  
"Hello?"  
"It's Hayami Rinka." She sat down at the kitchen table. "I hope I didn't wake you up."  
"Oh, you didn't," Nagisa replied. "I just had a call actually. Why did you call, Hayami-san?"  
Rinka let out a sigh, crossing her legs. "It's about Taiyo. Ryū and I have been a little worried about him for a couple of months now."  
"Oh," Nagisa said. "Why is that?"  
"Well, we just moved," Rinka explained. "And he always was quieter, so he doesn't really make friends easily."   
"I noticed that too."  
"I just have one request, please," Rinka said. "Could you push him a little bit? Out of his comfort zone. He really needs it."  
Nagisa chuckled on the other end. "Of course, I will. He needs a push in the right direction."  
Rinka smiled to herself. "Thank you, Nagisa-kun."  
"You're welcome."  
Rinka got up from the chair. "I need to go now. If Taiyo is getting in trouble, give us a call."  
"Sure," Nagisa said. "Good night."  
"Good night."  
Rinka hung up the phone and walked back. The low light from Ryūnosuke's phone screen indicated he wasn't asleep yet. Silently, she changed into her sleepwear and got into bed. Despite having shared a bed for years, both of them still enjoyed the warm presence of the other. She put her head on his chest, and he put his arm around her, phone off on the night table by now.  
"I saw a cute bird in my lunch break today," Ryūnosuke began to tell. Five minutes later, Rinka guessed, she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another chapter. I have a bunch on hold because I've been procrastinating. Also, Rinka's name is still Hayami as she and Ryūnosuke aren't married yet.  
> QOTC: Who's your favourite AssClass character?  
> AOTC: Mine is Chiba, Karma and Sugaya in that order.


	7. Spilled Beer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being close to liver failure will not stop Karma from video chatting.

It was roughly 1 AM when the apartment door swung open, Karma stumbling in with messy hair and half-closed eyes.  
Nami, having called her partner dozens of times, waited on the sofa. "Had fun?"  
"Soooo much." He stumbled towards her.  
Nami sighed. "Come on, let's get you into bed." She got up and placed a hand on his back. "You need to sober up."  
"I'm fine…" Karma ran a hand through his hair. "I am sober."  
Nami gently nudged him towards their bedroom. He fell face-first into the pillow, arms wrapped around it. "You stay here," she hushed as she reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. She unlocked it - Karma had told her his password - and looked through the contacts. "Who would be at the- There." She started a video call with Nagisa, waiting until the other picked up.  
"Hello?"  
Nami put on a smile. "Hi," she said. "I don't know if you remember, but I'm Karma's girlfriend."  
"I remember," Nagisa said. "Did something happen?"  
"I hoped you could answer that." She turned the phone to the bed. "He's done for…"  
"I didn't notice he was so drunk," Nagisa said. "I left before him. Is he okay?"  
"Naaagisa!" Karma lifted on the bed, trying to watch the phone. Nami sighed and handed him the phone. "There you go, enjoy yourself."

Nagisa had to smile at his phone screen. Karma's face was mushed into the pillow, a large smile on his face.  
"Nagisa," he slurred. "Naaagisa."  
"I'm here," Nagisa chuckled. "Did you go drinking after you left?"  
"Maybe…" Karma sunk deeper into the pillow. "You look so handsome."  
"Me?" Nagisa felt himself blush.  
Karma nodded. "You look handsome."  
"Thank you," Nagisa replied. It was a bit weird for Karma to be so affectionate, especially after they hadn't talked after their fight.  
"Nagisa." Karma held the phone closer. "I love you, Nagisa."  
From the phone came a chuckle, not from Karma but from Nami, who had been roaming around in the background. Nagisa looked into the small video of himself in the corner. His cheeks were bright red, but Karma didn't seem to mind. How should Nagisa respond to that? Karma had been one of his closest friends in middle school, and 3-E had been like a second family for the year. Yet, Karma didn't feel like a brother to him. They had been close, yes, but not in a brotherly way. It had been a weird dynamic between the two.  
"I think it's time for him to sleep." Nami took the phone. "He needs to sober up."  
"'Night, Nagisa."  
"Goodnight, Karma." Nagisa smiled as Nami waved and hung up the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's another one of these chapters that were hard to title, just bear with me here. Also no, I have not been drunk before so yikes.  
> QOTC: Who's your go-to person to call when you need someone to call (for whatever reason)?  
> AOTC: My S/O or mh best friend :D


	8. After Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa wants to talk to Taiyo. Nagisa gets some insight about the home life of his student... Just not the one he expected.

The weekend had been short, between school work and the reunion. Despite that, Nagisa had been thrilled to start the new week of school. At that point, Nagisa had a decent understanding of how different students behaved in class. Mikazuki and Minori were trying their best but not quite keeping up. Katashi was distracted by the girls, Ava and Suzuki were the ones distracting him. Gureisu was paying attention, doing the best she could in class. Hikaru still avoided all of Nagisa’s questions, festering his vendetta against Nagisa. And Taiyo simply looked tired, although it was hard to tell.  
After Hayami had called him on Saturday night, Nagisa tried to motivate Taiyo with all possible tactics. Nothing. Taiyo only did what was absolutely necessary, he answered Nagisa’s questions briefly, then kept quiet again. While it was more pleasant than Hikaru’s bickering and Katashi’s talking, it still wasn’t an optimal situation. He needed to talk to him after class.  
“Chiba-kun?”  
Taiyo turned around. It was hard to grasp his emotion under the bangs he essentially inherited from his dad.  
Nagisa decided to smile as a warm-up. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"  
Taiyo walked to his desk. "Okay."  
"I noticed you were pretty quiet the first week," he said. "And I received a call from your mother."  
Taiyo seemed to hold back a sigh, presumably rolling his eyes.  
"How are you getting along with the others in class?"  
"Good." He slid his hands in his pockets.  
Nagisa nodded. "Are you friends with anyone?"  
"No."  
Nagisa sighed. "Thanks for talking to me," he said. "I don't wanna hold you up any longer."  
Taiyo nodded and left the classroom. There was no way he would get through to him. Not now, at least.

Katashi had already left the classroom, but halfway he turned around. The door opened, and Taiyo walked out. Katashi followed him with his eyes before knocking on the door. "Shiota-sensei?"  
"Huh?"  
Katashi got inside and closed the door behind him. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"  
"Of course," Shiota-sensei said. "What is it?"  
Katashi itched his neck. "I feel like I'm giving my dad unnecessary trouble," he said.  
"Why do you think that?" Shiota-sensei asked.  
"My sister and I moved in with him because our mom is too busy." Katashi sighed. "At first, things were great because we didn't see him that often, but now…"  
A concerned look spread on Shiota-sensei's face. "Is he mistreating you?"  
"Oh, absolutely not! No, he's just… gloomy." Katashi looked down. "I think it's because of us."  
Shiota-sensei gave him a warm smile. "Your dad and I met on the weekend," he said. "And he told me that he's pretty glad you two are with him now."  
"Did he say that?"  
"He did."  
Katashi smiled. "So he's not so sad because of us?"  
"I don't think that, no." Shiota-sensei smiled. "Maybe he's just a bit stressed with the new situation. Try and help him out."  
"I will! Thank you."  
"You're welcome."  
Katashi glanced at the clock. "I have to go, or else I'll be late. I'll see you tomorrow." He waved before leaving the school. He felt a lot better about himself with that knowledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exam season is exhausting. I hope y'all been doing better.  
> QOTC: What's your favourite subject?  
> AOTC: Mine's English :)


	9. Monday Evening Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Irina Karasuma is not only a passionate mother but also an excellent assassin at heart. So of course she doesn't take it lightly when someone messes with her work.

"I can't believe it!" Irina crossed her arms. "I was just about to finish the job when this stupid sniper killed him."  
"You didn't see where he was, so just move on." Tadaomi didn't look up from his laptop.  
Suzuki was used to her parents having a rougher tone with each other, but that didn't mean she enjoyed any of it. Usually, she just gave her older sister Ivanka a side-eye and waited it out.  
"If I get my hands on this sniper," Irina started.  
"You won't commit another sin, will you?" Tadaomi closed his laptop. "Now, pick a movie." He set the laptop away and waited for the girls to pick a movie.  
Suzuki leaned on his shoulder, her favourite position on the sofa. Tadaomi usually gave her a faint smile and wrapped an arm around her.  
Finally, the movie started. Family time was rare for them, with both of the parents working so much, so it was great to wind down on a Monday evening.  
So it was even more bitter when the movie ended and Tadaomi moved on to the important topics.  
"I met your new homeroom teacher," he said. "We had an interesting conversation."  
Code for "He told me that you never listen in class."  
"He told me you were distracting your classmates more than you were taking notes."  
Suzuki averted her eyes. No point in lying; her dad was like a human lie detector. "Yeah," she admitted.  
Tadaomi let out a deep sigh. "I know D-class can be frustrating," he said, "but I know your teacher wants the best for you. He is a very competent teacher and a kind human being."  
"He's a teacher," Suzuki mumbled. "They never care about us D-class."  
"That's not true!" Irina now intervened. "We both taught at Kunugigaoka, and we always cared for our students."  
Tadaomi nodded along her statement. "Give him a chance," he said. "You won't regret it."

"Take care of yourself," Tadaomi said. "I trust you with this."  
"It's not my first job," Irina replied. "I'll be back by tomorrow." She hung up the phone and put it in her purse. It was meant to be a simple job. The man had planned an attack for the day after, so Irina had more than enough time to take him out.  
Usually, she would slip something in his drink or something similar, but knocking someone out in a crowded hotel bar wouldn't be the smartest move.  
"Hello, handsome." The barstool beside him was empty, so she sat down. "All alone?"  
Her target watched her. "None of your business."  
Irina frowned. "Don't be such a meanie," she said. "I just wanna talk."  
"Talk?" He took a sip from his drink.  
Irina twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Maybe something other than talking… But not here."  
The man pulled up an eyebrow before he paid for his drink and got up. "Follow me."  
The two walked out of the bar, up to the hotel rooms. She closed the door behind her as he walked to the bed. Now she only needed to-  
The target fell into the king-size bed, red liquid soaking the sheets—sniper attack.  
Irina ran to the window the shot came from and scanned her surroundings. Too many buildings, too many windows.  
"Dammit!" she exclaimed. She retreated from the window, just in case the sniper decided to fire a second bullet. She took a deep breath before calling Tadaomi, waiting for the phone to be picked up.  
"Irina?" Tadaomi asked.  
She sighed. "Target eliminated."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing fics for ages and I know: it wouldn't be my work if nobody died.  
> QOTC: What's your timezone? I'm trying to figure out when to post the chapters  
> AOTC: CET i think? That's +1


	10. Apologies And Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not always easy to get your point across, or communicate anything at all.

Nagisa loved his job with every fibre of his being. Grading papers, however, was probably his least favourite.  
It was a welcome distraction when his phone rang. _Karma_. Huh.  
"Hello?" Nagisa spoke into the speaker after he picked up.  
"It's me," Karma said from the other end. "Are you free?"  
"Uhm." Nagisa thought. "In life or right now?"  
Karma laughed. "Time-wise, right now. I feel like I owe you an apology for Saturday. Dinner?"  
Nagisa watched the pile of paper in front of him. "Sure."  
"Okay, I'm in front of your building right now."  
"Huh?" Nagisa stood up and looked outside the window. He slipped on his shoes and turned off the light. As he arrived downstairs, Karma hung up the phone.  
"Great. Let's go."  
The two walked down the street, Karma leading the way to the nearest sushi restaurant. The way was mostly silent, saving the conversation for later.  
"You see," Karma said, once they had sat down and ordered. "I need to apologize."  
"Apologize?" Nagisa asked. "Because of Saturday night?"  
Karma nodded. "Yeah, I got a bit sensitive I suppose and overreacted."  
"Well, you were drunk."  
Karma watched him. "Drunk? No. I mean, I maybe had a beer or two too much afterwards but not-"  
"So you're not talking about the call?" Nagisa asked.  
"Uh, no." Karma shook his head. "What call?"  
"Don't worry about it," Nagisa said smiling. "Your girlfriend can tell you."  
Karma shrugged it off. "Well, you don't seem to be too mad about me punching you."  
"Seems to be your love language."  
Nagisa swore he saw Karma blush before he turned back to his plate. Somehow, physical contact was their most effective way of communication. Not just violent contact either. It was simple things like high-fives.  
Was it just a lucky guess that Karma picked a sushi restaurant or did he remember that it was Nagisa's favourite? Either way, Nagisa enjoyed their get-together.

"So, we dated for about a month but it wasn't meant to be…" Hiroto shrugged as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.  
"I suppose so." Yūma watched around before he craned his neck, gazing to the other side of the street. "Do you see that?"  
Hiroto turned. Through the window of the restaurant on the other side, Karma and Nagisa were chatting over sushi. "Oh wow," he said. "Karma spending his afternoon with a friend?"  
Yūma nodded. "You think we should say hello?"  
"No." Hiroto smiled. "Karma doesn't get out much with friends. Besides, I think they need to talk about some stuff."  
They turned back and resumed their way.  
"Karma acted a bit weird on Saturday," Hiroto said. "I mean, I'm used to his temper, but that was extreme."  
"I wouldn't say extreme," Yūma said. "Unprompted, though."  
After Karma and Nagisa had been separated, Hiroto had tried to dig deeper into the matter. He considered Karma a good friend, so seeing him freak out was worrisome. Maybe their jokes had gone too far, or maybe they had hit a sensitive spot. "You know, maybe Rio was right."  
"Huh?" Yūma turned to him, cheeks slightly blushed. "That's… one way to propose marriage, I suppose."  
"What?" Hiroto had to try and remember what he was talking about before remembering. "That's not what I was talking about. What if she was right about Karma and Nagisa?"  
Yūma looked at the ground and hummed. "I think Nagisa made his point quite clear," he eventually said. "I'd feel sorry for Karma, though. Unreciprocated feelings suck."  
"I guess so," Hiroto said. "It's been a while since that happened to me." He shot Yūma a look. "What about you? I always talk so much about myself, let's talk about you for a change."  
"I don't mind."  
"I insist."  
Yūma sighed. "If you insist." The two arrived in a park and sat down on the nearest bench. It was just them late in the evening. The light from the street lantern cast a shadow in front of them."So, I guess I have… Crush is probably the wrong word, it's not like that." He folded his hands on his lap. "I think it started a couple of years ago, but I only really thought about it for a couple of months. I mean, I had crushes and stuff like that before but this feels different. I thought it was because we knew each other for so long but now I'm pretty sure."

Hiroto just listened in silence, one arm wrapped around Yūma's shoulder. "Sounds legit," he said after he was sure Yūma was done. "Let me tell you, whoever you like, she is a lucky girl."

"I guess so…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please ignore the messed up spacing in the end thank luv ya


	11. Dates Are Forbidden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Hikaru hears about his dad's free-time activities and he feels the need to dig a little deeper.

Katashi watched Ava in front of him. She was reading some English novel which was way ahead of the other's vocabulary. Her English was way better than everyone else's anyway. Usually, he watched her before Hikaru came to class, which was about a minute before Shiota-sensei came. Not that day, though.  
Hikaru dropped into his chair. "Morning," he mumbled.  
"Morning," Katashi replied. "You're early."  
Hikaru shrugged. "I've been on campus for like half an hour but a girl from B-class held me back and we talked." In fact, Hikaru looked a lot tidier than he usually was. Maybe he wanted to impress that girl from B-class?  
"My dad drove me this morning," Hikaru said. "Not quite sure why, but he went into school as well."  
"Maybe Shiota-sensei wanted to talk to him again."  
"I didn't even do anything, geez."  
Katashi leaned back into his chair. "My dad said they're friends, apparently from junior high still. He saw them downtown yesterday."  
"Friends?" Hikaru said.  
"Well," Katashi said, "he called it a date, sorta joking sorta not."  
Hikaru's eyes went big. "Date?" he repeated. "Oh, hell no. My parents aren't separating any time soon."  
Katashi didn't want to pour oil into an open flame. He didn't meet Hikaru's dad often, but when he saw him, he always was very polite, proper and honest. Not the kind of person who would cheat.  
"Don't think so either," Katashi said. "Maybe he meant a playdate or whatever."  
Hikaru was about to give a heated response when the door opened and Shiota-sensei stepped inside, talked to someone outside and then walked inside with a smile on his lips.

Hikaru was sitting on his bed, scrolling through social media when he noticed the sound of the front door. Immediately, he jumped off his bed. He had some questions for his dad.  
Karma was already in the door to the parents' bedroom, suit jacket on the clothes hanger already.  
"Dad." Hikaru walked up to him. "I have a question."  
"Huh?" Karma looked tired. Hikaru usually didn't bother his dad after work unless Karma came up to him first. "Shoot."  
Hikaru wasn't quite sure how to phrase his question. No matter what, he would piss him off. Maybe it wasn't worth it after all. "Are you cheating on Mom?"  
Karma had his back turned to Hikaru before, but now he turned around. "Excuse me?"  
"Are you cheating on Mom?" Hikaru hesitated. "I heard someone saw you on a date with someone else yesterday."  
Karma watched him with a confused look before he burst out in laughter. "You scared me for a second," he laughed. "No, no. I wasn't on a date. I just met with an old friend of mine from school." Karma gave himself a moment to calm down and his expression turned almost sombre. "Don't worry about it. There's nothing going on between us."  
Hikaru felt bad for asking. He should have trusted his dad.  
"Did you have dinner? I can make us some dinner," Karma said. "Come on, let's go, buddy." He walked to the kitchen, Hikaru following closely.  
Maybe his dad wasn't home much, but his cooking was amazing. Weird, considering ever since he could think, it was his mom who handled the cooking. Karma must have picked up that skill before Hikaru was born.  
He loved doing it too. Karma never failed to enthuse about the composition of the meal he cooked.  
"I should probably tell you," Karma said, "your teacher and I have been friends for a long time."  
Hikaru watched his father, his back at least. "My teacher?"  
Karma nodded. "When I drove you to school this morning, I went to see him. He and I had dinner yesterday and he forgot his wallet."  
The thought of his dad and his teacher being friends was weird. Better than them dating, but still an unpleasant thought. What if he showed up at their place? Did Karma have an in-depth insight into Hikaru's grades?  
Shiota-sensei better keep to himself. He better not invade Hikaru's privacy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My writing is getting worse? Maybe it's because I was in the middle of exam season when I wrote it and I've been chronically tired for weeks. Also, don't ask about the title, IDK either. Anyway, merry crisis y'all.


	12. About Having Dinner Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being invited for dinner is a nice gesture. There's no way this could be misinterpreted, right?

Rarely had Nagisa seen such a nice front yard. Flowers lined the house and fence leading to the front door. The doorbell read Sugino. When Nagisa rang the bell, it took a little while before the door opened.  
Yukiko opened the door, a gentle smile greeting him. "Hi," she said. "Thank you for coming, Nagisa. Come inside."  
"Thank you for inviting me," Nagisa replied. He stripped off his shoes and followed Yukiko inside. They walked past the family photos to the dining room where Minori and Mikazuki were already sitting. Next to them sat a younger girl, Namiko was her name, and their dad, Tomohito.  
Minori was the first to notice their guest. "Nagisa-san," he said with a smile before pausing and tilting his head. "Is it okay for us to call you that still, now that you're our teacher?"  
Nagisa chuckled. "Of course," he said. "I'm not your teacher right now."  
"You can sit down." Yukiko briefly put her hand on Nagisa's shoulder. "Dinner is almost ready." With that, she left the room.  
Nagisa followed her words and sat down on a free chair, catching Tomohito's attention.  
"Nagisa," he said. "How are you?"  
"I'm doing great." Nagisa couldn't resist looking at the homework on the table. "Karma and I are good again. We had dinner together."  
"Like a date?"  
Nagisa heated up. A date with Karma? "He has a girlfriend and a kid." More dawning reasoning only came up seconds later. "And even if he didn't, I'm not gay."  
"Not even back then, like, a little?" Tomohito chuckled. "I always thought you and Karma had something, especially after you were so oblivious with Kayano."  
Nagisa shook his head. "No, never. And I think Karma would say the same."  
For a moment there was silence. Tomohito looked as if he wanted to say something but he didn't.  
"Maybe you shouldn't speak for other people." Mikazuki closed the book in front of her. "You technically don't know."  
"I'm very sure," Nagisa said. "We're just friends."  
Tomohito chuckled. "Last time you said that he freaked out."  
"It's Karma. Who knows what's going on in his mind?"

It was nice outside. Nagisa and Tomohito didn't get to spend as much time as they used to, with Nagisa's teaching job and Tomohito's flourishing baseball career. Also, Tomohito was a father of three, which was a full-time job on its own.  
Nagisa wouldn't know, he wasn't a father. He didn't even have a girlfriend or knew any women who he would consider more than a friend or a colleague. Karma had asked and thoroughly interviewed him about his love life, even bringing up potential dates. It did feel weird when Karma pulled out a list of his own colleagues Nagisa might consider.  
There was no way he would, though. Not because they didn't seem like nice people, or even because he didn't find them attractive. It was more the way Karma hyped them up, especially when they reminded Nagisa just a little bit too much of the presenter. A red-haired, slightly sadistic child in an adult's body working in the Ministry of Finance? Karma apparently hadn't noticed because he read Nagisa's reaction as interest, and gave him her number. Ito Emiko was her name.  
After much consideration he had actually messaged her. It only took a few exchanges to see why she was one of Karma's friends. She apparently had the same conversation with their friend since she cut right to the case.  
"I actually have some news." Nagisa felt awkward about telling someone about it. Tomohito immediately turned to him. Nagisa kept his eyes on the path. "I have a date."  
"Did Kayano call you?"  
"No." Nagisa would have been ashamed of his bright red face if the light hadn't been so dim. "Karma told me about one of his colleagues."  
Tomohito smiled to himself. "Karma, huh? He's trying really hard to get you a date."  
"I think he took pity on me," Nagisa said. "I told him I haven't been on a date for years and I think he took that personally." He laughed low. "He immediately offered to take me on a date."  
"Without any second thoughts?"  
Nagisa shrugged. Presumably, Karma wanted to have some teasing material. Not that two friends having dinner together would be something to tease with. Karma and Nagisa recently had dinner together. Maybe Karma just wanted to open the possibility for more dinners together, but why did he call it a date? It wasn't a date if they were friends, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's also not gay if you say no homo afterwards.


	13. Dense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the kids are having a atudy session, the adults are trying to figure out a date plan, which was easier said than done.

"What did you even do to Akabane? He looked like he was gonna rip your head off."  
Ava couldn't bear to read another word of the homework, so she closed the book and crossed her arms.  
Katashi sat opposite her taking notes on a sheet of paper inside his book. "His dad was hanging out with Shiota-sensei. My dad told me he saw them." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. It was a shame that he was so attractive, considering he liked to keep a group of girls around him. Now, it wasn't a personal opinion: Katashi was objectively handsome. Most girls even said his dad was just as attractive. Ava never saw him that way, perhaps because she's known him for so long.  
She had to distract herself before she may admit to herself that she had considered whether Katashi would ever change and stay truthful. He wouldn't. She knew that.  
"I feel kinda bad for him," Katashi said. "Dad didn't really say that it was a romantic thing but he heavily implied it."  
"You think Akabane's dad is cheating with our teacher?"  
"My dad does." Katashi shrugged. "But he's too busy to care at the moment. He's playing wingman for Isogai-san."  
Ava tilted her head to the side. "Huh. Let's not ask Hikaru about it, though. We don't need him to go at Shiota-sensei even more than he already does."  
Katashi nodded. Despite being such a player with girls, he always felt so much for his friends. The empathy he lacked in romance, he had in his platonic relationships. He was a garbage boyfriend, but an amazing best friend. When Ava moved away with her mom, he was very upset and called her every day for weeks. He was her only friend for a while, before she found friends at her new school.  
"How's your dad?" Ava asked to break up the awkward silence between them. "I haven't seen him around."  
"He was out late yesterday, and work must've been tiring." Katashi sighed. "I wish he spent the evenings with us instead of stalking other people."  
"Maybe you can come to my place to study tomorrow." Ava felt weird to bring that up. "My mom can help us with English."  
It wasn't that Katashi had never been to Ava's house. They just always met at Katashi's place, even back when he still lived with his mom.  
"Sure," Katashi said. "That sounds good."

"Karma called me today." Hiroto watched his plate of food. Yūma had cooked. "Turns out he wasn't too happy about us spying."  
"We weren't spying."  
"He doesn't know that." Hiroto shrugged. "Anyway, so Katashi told Hikaru and he told Karma that I said that Karma was on a date."  
Of course, Hiroto had to dig deeper. He wanted to know everything about how things were going with Nagisa, why the reunion went the way it did. Karma was quite dismissive at first. When asked why he spent his sparse free time with a friend instead of his girlfriend, he just said that he wanted to.  
Eventually, he got a bit more annoyed. "Just because you have someone else every day doesn't mean everyone else does." That didn't sit right with Hiroto. Karma had never been one to judge, so it was quite a shift in mindset   
"Let's talk about something else," Hiroto said. "Did you make a move on your crush yet?"  
"It's not a crush." Yūma shrugged. "We talk regularly," he said. "We have lunch together sometimes."  
Hiroto smiled. "You should ask her out on a date or something."  
"I don't think that's a good idea," Yūma said. "As much as I'd love to, I just don't see a relationship between the two of us. We've been friends for too long."  
"That doesn't matter," Hiroto said. "Shoot your shot. What could go wrong?"  
Yūma smiled. "Do you maybe want to get dinner tomorrow?"  
"To talk about the date plan?" Hiroto nodded to himself. "Sure. Sounds great."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not posting in a while. I had exams and another lockdown and also I was hyperfixating on BNHA for the past four weeks and started like six fics because hyper fixation be like that sometimes.  
> Also this is short, and I was stuck with it for a while. I'll try to write when I have a clearer headspace but at the moment it's head empty, only Kaminari.

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I've started a fanfic and the first one I started on AO3. I'd love some feedback in the comments, other than that I hope I can manage the Japanese culture (I'm quite new to it so I need to do some research). I'll try to post once a week.


End file.
